Cure To A Broken Heart
by Without Any Name
Summary: A complete plot twist on Fragile Dreams. Seto is found by Ren and brought to a hidden human community. Upon discovering her betrayal, he leaves with a broken heart, and you can probably guess who he meets. Human!Crow and Ren bashing. AU. Rating may change. (Summary sucks but please give the story a chance ;u;).
1. (1) A Victim Of Deception

_**My second fanfiction, only under a different pen name. Why? Because I have friends who are aware of my other account, and I don't know what they would think if they saw me writing something such as this. Please do not ask me who I am, although if my stories are popular enough, I might one day release such information.**_

_**A few things to know and understand about this story:**_

_**1.) A complete plot change from the game (it's still a post-apocalyptic type world, though). I plan to incorporate many things from the game, though, such as people, places, and items.**_

_**2.) There will be definite Ren bashing. Please understand that I have nothing against her, it is just the role I imagined her in. She will also be very OOC.**_

_**3.) I may include plot related ideas things that are merely popular fan speculations, as they have not been confirmed by the makers of the game.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not hold any rights to any characters, the game/manga, or any other things used in this story, nor do I gain monetary value. The only things I own are any OC's that I may create and the plot.**_

_**And now, onto the story…**_

* * *

Chapter one - A Victim Of Deception

The day he met her was like a dream. It all seemed too good to be true. Days later, looking back upon the day, everything seemed hazy, as if ethereal, like it wasn't real. When he woke up, he often believed it was just a figment conjured by his slumbering mind, at least until he saw her again. His days seemed to grow lighter, filled with new friends, familiar faces. After a while the terrible days of being alone faded to a distant memory.

On some days he wished he had never met her, had never been brought to the community. Then he would remind himself what never would have occurred later, or what might have happened – death, specifically stood out among those possibilities he listed. There were other days where he would sit and reminisce in the memories of those days, as he was now.

A smile graced his lips. He often forgot how it all started, even before he met her, before she broke his heart. The wind stirred his purple-brown hair as he recalled the memory.

* * *

Seto's leg wailed in agony as it shook beneath his weight. His eyes burned, threatening to over flow with uncried tears. Minutes previously, he had been ambushed by a hellhound. It had taken him completely by surprise, hence the injury he had sustained. He was lucky enough to escape without any burns, although its claws had landed a savage blow on his right leg.

The grass was bent and crushed with hardly a sound as he stumbled across the meadow. Above him the stars danced along the inky expanse of the sky, the moon washing the landscape in a silvery light. A slow, yet steady, trickle of blood leaked out of the tear in his worn jeans. The entire side of the piece of clothing was slicked with blood, and he only hoped the hellhound hadn't had any friends in the area, of whom might be following him.

As he limped through the tall blades of grass around him, he grimly realized if there was, in fact, another hound on his trail, he was likely finished. Reduced to limping, there was little chance he could escape, and the injury would only hamper him in battle. As another spasm wracked his leg, he gasped in pain and gripped the fabric of his jeans tightly, waiting for the pain to pass.

As the initial ache receded, he looked around, searching for a place to rest, and perhaps even spend the night. There were no bonfire locations in sight, but thankfully he had seen no spirits, or even wild animals. The best nearby shelter he could see was an extremely large tree, its trunk full of twists and knots. Unless he retreated to the distant forest, and who knew how long that would take, it was his only option.

After much staggering, stumbling, and cursing the world in general, he collapsed wearily in between two particularly large roots. There were branches digging into his back, the tall grass jabbed at his exposed skin, and he was pretty sure he was laying a large rock, but quite frankly, he couldn't summon the will to care. His leg throbbed painfully and rhythmically. A sigh escaped his lips and he stared up through the leafy branches, concentrating on the sky above. He hardly noticed as his vision darkened, or as his eyelids began to drift together.

* * *

Something landed gently on his face. Startled awake, his eyes flew and he immediately flew into a sitting position. Regret followed instantly as his leg wound was irritated, the blood having dried over night and essentially gluing his jeans to the injury. Almost all movement jostled his pants in some way, causing large pricks of pain.

Long rays of sunlight filtered down through the multitude of leaves above him and dappled the ground. One beam drifted across his face and shone directly in his eyes. Automatically, he raised a hand to shield his eyes. Until that moment, he had not even taken notice of the fact it was day. Casting his eyes up toward the sky, his dark blue eyes caught sight of the bounty of fruit hanging among the branches.

Apples! He couldn't believe his luck. Twisting around with as little movement as possible, he realized it wasn't a rock he was laying, but rather a fallen fruit. Crawling around a little, he came across several more of them simply lying around, unharmed and undamaged. Dusting off the closest one, he took a bite. It was crispy and sweet, and the juice flowed into his mouth. A small trickle dribbled out of the corner of his mouth, and he wiped it up idly.

He devoured it quickly, and immediately sought out another. And then another, and another, and another. Nothing seemed to satisfy his hunger, the injury upon his leg long forgotten.

"Hey, dofus!" the voice startled him out of his ravenous haze. He froze in the act of biting another apple. Looking up, he saw a fast approaching figure. Squinting, he saw it, her, he corrected himself, more clearly. Short silver-white hair reached down to a couple inches above her shoulders. She was wearing some sort of long, purple-black shirt and light gray skinny jeans.

"Are you stupid or something?!" she gasped, coming to a screeching halt in front of him. What he thought was a long shirt turned out to be purple-black hospital smocks tied together into a crude dress. Seto felt his face burn as he realized she was wearing nothing underneath it.

"…Um, no?" he responded tentatively. He swallowed immediately and sat up, feeling as if his face had burst into flames.

"Do you know what could've happened?!" The girl practically snarled at him. Seto, feeling as if silence was the best response, simply shook his head. "Ugh, come on. Before some trackers show up." And without waiting for his response, she hooked her hand under his arms and pulled him to his feet. "Follow me," she called over her shoulder as she walked away.

Hobbling awkwardly after her, he opened his mouth to speak. "Wait," he gasped. The girl stopped and looked at him quizzically. "W-who are you?" he gasped out.

For a while the silver-haired girl did not respond. Just as he thought the tension in the air would reach a breaking point, she spoke. "Ren. My name is Ren." And she smiled when she said it, showing her teeth. She looks nice when she smiles, Seto found himself thinking.

"I'm Seto," he grinned back, offering his hand.

"Nice to meet you," she stepped forward and delicately gripped his hand in her own, giving it a gentle shake. "Now, hurry up, you slow poke!" she teased and started forward again. They traveled for a while without anymore conversation. "I'm sorry for being so rude earlier," she broke the silence suddenly. Seto looked at her in surprise. "I was just worried," Ren explained. Is she _blushing_? Seto wondered in disbelief. "Trackers could show up any moment and attack, that's all."

"Trackers?"

Ren nodded. "They're also known as Masks. Mostly because they look like huge, floating gray masks with one eye. When look at them from behind, you can see this gelatinous substance near the top, so we think that might be it's brain."

Seto started in surprise. "I've seen one of those before! It tried to attack me when I was in a observatory, after the old man who was taking care of me passed away." Something in the look Ren gave him seemed off. "Did you know him?"

"No," Was the immediate reply. "But I'm not surprised that you saw a Tracker," Ren nodded, sounding grim. "They seem to be everywhere lately. But whenever we try to talk to them, they always say something along the lines of 'I don't have to respond to you.'"

"You keep on saying them; are you suggesting that there are multiple?" Seto questioned feeling a squirm of fear in his stomach.

"That's what we think," Ren sighed. "We've seen ones that look different from one another. Like this one time, we saw a crimson mask, so obviously it couldn't have been the same one. And one other time, we saw a green one."

"We?" Seto asked, catching her repeated use of the word.

"Yeah," And now Ren really was smiling. "There's a community of humans living here. We've only survived by banding together and pooling our resources. Having all those friends is fun, but sometimes I bore of guard duty. That's where I'm taking you - to the community, that is."

"Alright," Seto agreed happily, picking up the pace a little, despite the growing pain in his leg.

Ren seemed to notice, and turned to look at his blood soaked leg. "That looks bad," she said, pointing. "We can have it looked at when we get there. I can't promise anything, but at least you'll get some medicine for it. We don't want it getting infected, do we now?"

"No," Seto agreed, feeling as if today would be a good day.

* * *

_**Aannnd that's all for today. Now, keep in mind that Ren/Seto is not the end pairing in this story. Nor does it end well. I know some people expected the Crow/Seto pairing right away, but it bothers me when that happens. There's no building of the relationship and everything seems to happen too fast. Its like the author didn't want to bother putting more effort into writing the 'boring' stuff, but its important to the storyline and helps to show just how strongly the two people feel about each other. I don't know how long of a story this will be, but I know that it will be at least moderately long. If that's not for you, or you don't particularly enjoy that sort of story, please don't flame and press the back button. If you like how this is going, or have something nice to say, please review, as I would love to hear what you have to say. **_


	2. (2) A New Life

Cure To A Broken Heart

_**Hmm… Second chapter already? …I'll be trying to updated seven days within the latest chapter. If I feel like posting before then, well, then I will. I'd like to thank anyone who has bothered to read this far, because it means a lot to me. Also, I have looked up Japanese names to fit with the story, so they aren't just random names I've been coming up with. I'd also like to thank TheBlueCatwars for being my first reviewer. I honestly hadn't expected to have a review so quickly, and the positive feedback prompted me to post a new chapter. **_

* * *

Chapter Two – A New Life

"Yer gonna' be fine," Nurse Maki told him, inspecting the wound on his leg. Seto wasn't sure if she could even be considered a nurse, since the only nurse like thing was a faded red plus stitched onto the front of her worn hat. "It's a little deep, but it di'nt it anything vital," Nurse Maki stood, wiping the blood on a nearby rag. "At any rate, we should dress an' wrap the wound. Yeh never know what was in that hound's saliva."

Seto nodded, readily agreeing. The suggestion made sense, and he didn't want his leg getting infected. "Can you see if anyone has some spare pants?" Ren asked from beside him, her left hand resting comfortably on his shoulder.

"Sure, I think Akira is about his size. Yeh can go an' check while I'm dealing with his wound," Nurse Maki suggested, walking over the counter and opening one of the cabinets. Seto swallowed nervously as he saw a multitude of bottles, cans, and other assorted medicine containers.

"Do you know where I can find him?" Ren asked the Nurse.

Nurse Maki raised one shoulder noncommittally. "I think he has the day off, so I would check in 'is room first, an' then the commons. If he's not there, jus' check all the usual hangouts."

"Okay, thanks," Ren said before she exited the room.

"So... Nurse Maki -" Seto began after a minute of silence.

"Please, just Maki is fine," Nurse Maki interrupted. "The only reason anyone calls me Nurse is 'cause I simply know the most abou' healing."

"O-Okay, anyways, Maki, what are you going to have to do to my leg?"

"Well, normally I would have tuh put pressure on a cloth over the wound to stop bleedin' but it looks like yer jeans took care of that. Now we got tuh clean the injury an' apply an antibiotic ointment, then wrap it."

"Will that be-" Seto swallowed nervously, "-painful?"

"Mmm, migh' sting a little," Maki answered nonchalantly. Suddenly the room seemed very hot. Something told him it would sting _a lot._ "Ah, here it is!" Maki announced pulling out a blue plastic bottle. Seto dearly hoped Ren was coming back soon.

* * *

"Oh, stahp yer whining, yah big baby," Maki sighed, smacking the back of his head.

"But it _hurts_!" Seto howled, gripping his leg as if his life depended on it.

"What hurts?" Ren asked conversationally as she opened the oak wood door.

"His leg," Maki sighed. "From the sound of it, yah'd think I'd jus' chopped it righ' off."

"You might as well have!" Seto barked, his vision blurring as tears pricked at his eyes.

"I don' get paid enough for this job," Maki said gruffly.

"You don't get paid at all," Ren said, sounding surprised.

"Exactly," huffed Maki. Ren giggled a little before turning her attention back to Seto. "Does it really hurt that much?"

"Yes," Seto scowled, mentally cursing both of them.

"Take the pants from Ren, an' go change in the bathroom, will ya?" Maki suggested, waving a pale hand at a door in the corner of the room.

"Fine," Seto grimaced in pain as he accepted the pants from Ren and hobbled over to the door, which closed with a click. There was a large window in one wall, but it was far too cloudy to make out any detail. Seto supposed it had been designed to only let in light, and not the gaze of any would-be-peepers.

Feeling slightly self-conscious, Seto wriggled out of his ruined jeans. It took him a few minutes, because even though the bite was now wrapped in something Maki called gauze, it still caused large twinges of pain when it was touched. It took him about half the time to get into the second pair of jeans, as they had a larger waist band and were looser. Luckily Ren seemed to have guessed this and had supplied a belt.

Maneuvering wildly to avoid hitting himself with the door, Seto froze as the sound of Maki and Ren talking floated over to him. It sounded tense, and Seto quickly shut the door so it was only open a few inches.

"…stop pretending," Maki was hissing quietly.

"…Not pretending! … not like … different …" Ren's voice went in and out of his hearing range, leaving him with garbled snatches. "… stay out of …" The two girls fell into a tension charged silence, and Seto decided to make his entrance.

"Oh, looks like them pants fit yah well," Maki told him, instantly switching to a casual air. Ren whipped around, startled.

"Yeah, who did you say these belonged to? I'll have to thank him," Seto said as he awkwardly wobbled over to them.

"They're Akira's," Ren said quickly, not managing quite a graceful transition as Maki had. "I can take you to him, if you want," She offered.

"S-sure," Seto said, rather taken aback by her rapid answer. He glanced at Maki, who was looking very disapproving behind Ren.

"Not so fast," Maki said suddenly as Ren made to leave, Seto at her heels. "If yer leg starts hurtin' you get yer bum back 'ere fast. An' I want no strenuous activities until it heals, 'cause you could reopen the wound. You got that, Mister?" Maki asked him, fixing him with a fierce gaze.

"Yes, ma'am," Seto agreed meekly.

"C'mon," Ren said, grabbing his wrist and pulling him out the door. Seto waved goodbye to Maki, but to his surprise she looked troubled, her brown eyes staring blankly ahead. She did not wave back.

"So where's this Akira at?" Seto asked Ren as she tugged him down the hallway.

"In the commons," she responded, slowing down a little. Seeing his blank look, she elaborated. "It's the lobby of the building where we all live. We call it the commons, well, for really no reason, but people hang out there all the time."

Ren stretched out one hand to push open a foggy glass door, letting in a flood of sunlight. Seto gasped a little and held up one hand as he was nearly blinded. Blinking rapidly, he followed Ren a rather blindly as his eyes adjusted. They were walking down a dirt path, lined on either side with grass and wildflowers. As she noticed he could see, Ren released his wrist from her grip.

"Wow," Seto breathed, turning in a circle.

"I know," Ren sighed happily. "It's certainly something, isn't it?" And she was right. A tiny town, sitting in a dip in the ground, surrounded him. Small dilapidated houses were dotted here and there, but for the most part it was generally a field with occasional scattered trees. A small pond with a rather small, unreliable looking dock sat quaint on his right, and a tall sakura tree stood proudly to the right (1). It was the perfect picture of paradise to Seto, both beautiful yet still slightly hidden.

The wind stirred the petals of the sakura tree, blowing them across the field. "C'mon," Ren laughed softly at his reaction. "You can come back anytime you want – it's not like it's going to get up and walk away."

"Alright," Seto agreed, turning to her with a smile still lit upon his features. Ren smiled back and beckoned him with a pale hand as she walked away. Seto followed, surprised when they turned toward the largest of the buildings – it had most likely served as a school. "That's the commons?" he asked, not expecting it to be so.

"Yeah, I know what you're thinking. Ready to collapse, right?" Seto nodded in confirmation. "They just look like that, but they're actually very sturdy. We keep it like that so it's harder for the trackers to find us."

Seto trusted her, but his stomach still squirmed in fear as the stairs leading up to the porch creaked with his every step. Ren giggled at him, but said nothing. "Hey guys!" she said cheerfully upon entering the house. Inside was a group of five teenagers, three girls and two boys, lounging around on couches and armchairs. "This is Seto," Ren introduced him. "That's Aiko," Ren pointed to a girl with long grey hair. "The two brunettes are Toshi and Rei. Toshi is the boy, and Rei is the girl," both Toshi and Rei waved at him. "Mei is the one flirting with Akira, and Akira is the one flirting shamelessly back at her," Ren said, keeping her face deadpan.

"Hey!" Both Akira and Mei shouted in unison while everyone else laughed.

"Admit it, it's true," Aiko teased, grinning.

"It's not!" Akira shot back, blushing like crazy. He glared at everyone laughing.

"Hey, calm down, will you?" Rei sniggered, reaching over and ruffling Akira's shaggy blonde hair. Akira scowled good-naturedly and fixed his hair.

"What are you doing here, Seto?" Mei asked; she was rather soft-spoken and it was a little difficult to hear her. "I thought from what Ren was telling us you would have to stay in the hospital for a day or two."

"I-I think I do," Seto stammered, a little startled at being addressed so suddenly. "Maki told me not to stress the injury and told me if it started hurting to come straight back, but other than that she pretty much gave me the all clear."

"We actually came so Seto could thank Akira for lending him some clothes," Ren said before he could add anything else.

"Oh, that?" Akira asked, looking surprised. "It was nothing, but you're welcome, I guess."

"How did end up alone?" Toshi asked him suddenly. "You'd have to have been pretty young when… it happened, so you must've had someone caring for you."

"Toshi!" Rei scolded, smacking him on the back of the head. "Don't be so rude!"

"What? I'm just curious!" Toshi pouted, flicking her on the forehead.

"It's fine," Seto assured them. "But it's a pretty long story."

"We've got time," Mai said softly. "The carpets soft, so Akira won't mind giving up his spot for you to sit in."

"Excuse me, but I don't recall consenting to this!"

"You don't have to. We're going to force you," Rei told him, using her foot to shove him onto the floor.

"Hey! And I thought you were supposed to be my friend!" Akira cried with mock hurt. Seto laughed at them but flopped onto the couch anyways. Ren sat down on the floor next to Akira, her legs brought up to her chest and her arms folded loosely across her knees.

"It all started a long time ago," Seto began, feeling rather self conscious as everyone turned their attention to him. "At the end of a summer that was all too short, the old man I was living with passed away. Even after all the years we spent together, I never knew his name." Rei made a soft 'aww' sound, after which Mai hissed at her to 'shut her trap.'

"Later that evening, I dug a shallow grave in the front yard of our home and buried him there. At that moment… I was truly alone in the world."

* * *

_**So, I guess that's all for today too. You may recognize that last bit, where Seto was speaking, and that's because I took it directly from the game – so I don't own that bit of writing… even if I may want too :/ **_

_**A sakura tree is also called a cherry blossom tree, but I'm trying to keep this as Japanese as I can (if that makes any sense)**_


	3. (3) Different

_**Wow, I guess it's that time already. Time for a new chapter, that is. Time has really flown for me. For those of you who celebrate it – happy fathers day! For those who don't - Hey. How's it going? Moving on, I've checked the traffic graph for this story and whoa, there are views from all over the place! I mean, I have some from Lithuania, Singapore, Malaysia, even United Arab Emirates! I only know where half of those are (don't judge geography is my worst subject). Anyways, I have no idea how long it's been since the last post. Was it over a week ago? I dunno. If this is late my only excuse is that I'm lazy and like to procrastinate. **_

_**Noki: I'm glad I got you interested in the fandom again, and I'm glad you're not bored out of your mind. Although, by the 'boring stuff' I really meant that the parts where there isn't really much action or relationship building going on.**_

_**Guest No. 1: Crow is coming in after Seto leaves the community - so in about two chapters. I hope you'll be patient until then.**_

_**Guest No. 2: Thanks for the feedback; and the reason you mentioned is exactly why I posted the pairing. And I most definitely will be keeping this story going.**_

_**My thanks to everyone who is reading and all reviewers ;u;**_

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Chapter three – Different

Seto's eyes flew open and he scrambled into a sitting position. His heart was thumping and his breathing was ragged. _It was a dream_, he told himself sternly, _a dream_. But no matter how much he repeated it, the dream clung to him, refusing to loosen its grip. Slowly his breathing slowed, and he took a moment to glance around the room. The darkness was absolute, not even broken by moonlight.

His current room of residence was in the hospital, next to the examination room. Nurse Maki was up working late, going through medicines and reading up on and documenting useful herbs, and just generally straightening up. Although he knew this to be true, he couldn't shake the idea that it wasn't. That it had all been a fantasy or dream. So, purely out of need for reassurance, he swung his legs over the edge of his bed. The bed itself wasn't even a very good bed, for it had several holes in the mattress which had been filled with old cloth and creaked whenever he moved. But it served its purpose, and definitely was better then sleeping on the ground, so he welcomed it.

His leg let out a twinge of pain as he stood, but the pain was just a small nuisance by now. A week had passed since he had come to the community. The days had been spent with Ren and her group of friends. When they weren't on guard or fishing or scavenging duty, they had fun simply hanging out in the commons, regaling Seto with tales of things they had done, or things others had done. In other words, it had been a week of laughter and friendship.

The door swung open smoothly, creaking only slightly on its somewhat crooked hinges. To his right a pane of light expanded, lighting up the hallway as it passed through the doorway. He could see Maki's shadow bent over a table, labeling one bottle or another. Quietly, he shuffled through the door and entered the room.

"Seto?" Maki asked, straightening up. "What are you still doin' up?"

"Couldn't sleep," he yawned. "Bad dream."

"Mm, gotta' hate 'em," Maki responded, bending back over the bottle she was labeling. The action made her red hair swing into her face, and it occurred to Seto it had been a great deal longer earlier that day.

"Did you cut your hair?"

"Yep," was the short reply. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "Looks like tha' dream got to ya real bad. You need to talk 'bout it?"

"It's rather silly actually," Seto told her. She stared at him expectantly. "I keep on reliving the memories of being alone, and I keep waking up thinking all this was just a dream, or a figment of my imagination."

"I used to wake up like that,'" Maki told him. "It was 'orrible, but I didn' have anyone to talk to, like yah do."

"How'd you pull though?"

"I'd jus' sit up all night, readin.' Tha's how I learned so much abou' medicine."

"Do you think I might find any of it useful?" Seto asked, his interest peaked. It couldn't hurt to know more about healing, and it might come in handy one day.

Maki laughed. "You'll find all of it useful. Nothin' 'bout medicine isn't useful. You can go down to the library in the morning, but until then I 'ave some books in the cabinet," She told him, pointing it out to him.

"Thanks," Seto yawned.

"Don' thank me, jus' get back to bed," Maki smiled at him.

"Alright," Seto agreed as another yawn stretched his jaws. Later, when he awoke, the sight of the book was enough to reassure his uneasy mind that he wasn't alone. He fell into a deep sleep, only broken once more.

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The fire crackled happily in the corner and made Seto feel overly warm. Sitting next to him on the couch was Ren, her feet resting in his lap.

"Did I ever tell you about how Akira decided to take a winter swim?" Rei asked Seto eagerly. Seto shook his head, grinning, as Akira sat up, spluttering in protest. Other than Mei, who was on watch duty, the whole 'gang' as they called it, was gathering in the commons.

"Well it had been right after a sheet of snow had fallen, and Mei and I were doing what anyone would – crashing around and kicking up as much snow as possible. When, of course, Akira walks by."

"Now hold on one moment-" Akira began.

"He let a snowball fly, and we were chasing him out past the hospital. It had been sunny the day before and melted snow filled up the deep hole in the ground where we had to dig up a dead tree. Anyways, you couldn't tell the ground from the pit. He'd just turned around to taunt me when _whoosh!_" Rei mimed Akira falling down. "He disappeared completely. You should've seen the look on his face when he resurfaced, it was like he thought the entire world had been tugged from under his feet. He climbed out, soaked, his hair straight and hanging down in his face, and he said in a shocked breathless voice, 'What did you do?'"

Everyone in the room burst out laughing. Akira grinned, "I still think she did something."

"Yes, that's right. I dug a hole, filled it with icy water, tempted you into throwing snowballs at us, and forced you to run directly into it…" Seto's chest hurt from laughing so much. But he couldn't help noticing how Ren's face lit up when she laughed.

Seto didn't know how it had happened, it just had. On a completely ordinary day, he caught her eyes for just a moment and everything just changed. Her hair was no longer just an ordinary silver. It was now so many different shades depending on how it hit the light; a rosy quartz, gleaming silver, ashy gray, sugary white, and sometimes even a mix of all these. Her eyes weren't just violet anymore; they were a dazzling red-violet color that would gleam whenever she smiled.

"Whoa!" Toshi exclaimed suddenly. "Look how late it's getting!" There was a sudden rush as everyone moved to the windows. "You can even see the Silver River System!" (1)

"Let's go outside!" Akira blurted. Everyone stared at him. "I mean, it's better than piling up against the window, isn't it?" And of course, he had a point and they found themselves sprawled upon a nearby hill.

"It's so peaceful out here," Aiko breathed.

"My clothes are getting wet from all the dew," Akira complained.

"Then go inside," Ren scoffed on Seto's left.

"I'll go inside with you," Toshi offered. "Wanna come, Aiko, Rei?"

"Sure," Aiko said, getting up. "I'm kinda tired anyways."

"I think I'll hang around a while longer," Rei told them. A comfortable silence settled around them as Aiko, Toshi, and Akira trooped back inside.

"Looking at the stars… you can almost pretend that none of this ever happened. That the world is still how it used to be," Ren sighed. No one said anything as they contemplated her words.

"Do you guys know any constellations?" Rei asked after a while.

"There were some books on stars at the observatory," Seto told her. "I can't remember many of them, but the big and little dippers are usually pretty easy to find."

"What do they look like?"

"Like ladels, only one is really big and the other one is pretty small."

"Is that one?" Ren asked, pointing at the sky.

"No, the dip at the end is supposed to be made of four stars," he responded after a moment. They looked at the stars for a while before growing bored at which point Rei headed inside.

"I guess it's just us then," Ren breathed, turning her head to look at him.

"Yeah," Seto breathed, sure Ren must be able to hear how loud his heart was beating. "The stars look really pretty," Seto suddenly blurted out, his face burning.

"What?" Ren looked rather taken aback. "Oh, yeah, I suppose they are-"

"They remind me of your eyes," Seto heard himself say. His mind blanked. _What did I just say?!_ But suddenly he felt and cold hand slip into his and his train of thought completely derailed.

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"Seto," Akira asked him carefully as he walked through the doors. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he responded blankly, in a catatonic state.

"Are you sure?"

"Not really," he replied blankly as he walked past him.

"Hey!" Akira called after him. "Where are you even _going_?! Your room is in the hospital, remember?!"

Seto stopped walking. "Oh," he said blankly. "Thanks," He told Akira as he walked out the door he just came through.

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_**Okay yeah I know that this wasn't very long but this chapter just did NOT want to come together for me ;u;**_

_**(1) In Japanese, 'Silver River' means galaxies in general and the Milky Way is called the 'Silver River System' or the 'River of Heaven.'**_


	4. (4) Nothing To Show For Devotion

…_**Perhaps this is a given by now, but I am terrible at following a schedule. Anyways the reason for that is that my computer kept on blue-screening (AKA crashing, a blue screen will flash when it does, hence the name). After a while of trying to figure it out, we decided it had something to do with deviantart, because I was always on that site when it crashed. This only started recently, as I have never had problems with DA before… So if anyone knows why its doing that, please pm me. Moving on… it appears I'm gaining a little momentum. I have a couple new reviews and new followers. My thanks to all of them... Also, I will be going through my chapters for errors. You will be getting update alerts, so just ignore them. I've started revisions, and I deduced I hate writing Maki's dialogue ;u; so I'm going to be toning down her accent.**_

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Chapter Four – Nothing To Show For Devotion

Toshi skulked and Rei scowled whenever they saw them together. Aiko giggled and would whisper excitedly with Mei. Akira would simply look uncomfortable and try to console the situation.

"Don't pay attention to them," he told Seto when he told him about the reactions of Toshi and Rei. "Toshi always liked Ren and Rei… she, uh, has her own reasons..."

But aside from the twos' jealousy, things were wonderful. Seto was spending more time than ever with Ren, and had learned that she loved ikebana and wanted more than anything to learn ukiyo-e, but didn't have any supplies, nor anyone to teach her (1, 2). They had both gone to the library, Ren looking for books on ukiyo-e, and Seto for ones on medicine.

Only Seto had been successful, but Ren had come across a section of books that seemed to be going in the right direction. Aside from that, Seto had left with a book on origami, and Ren had eventually decided to nab a small book on Sado(3, 4).

"Those books better come back in _perfect_ condition," Shiori, the grumpy lady who took care of the library, told them threateningly as they left. Shiori was not a friendly woman. She looked at everyone who came in the same way – as if they had just chucked a book across the room. Everyone, that is, except for her husband, Akio. Surprisingly, Aiko was actually their granddaughter, which Seto had learned meant she was the daughter of Shiori's and Akio's daughter. Or son. It hadn't been specified which.

"They will," Ren promised, trembling only slightly under Shiori's fierce gaze. Swallowing uncomfortably as Shiori turned her gaze to Seto, he nodded hastily in agreement.

"I think took a few years of my life," Ren shuddered once they were safely outside.

"Agreed," Seto nodded, "and here I thought Akira was joking when he said she was the strictest person he knew."

"Did you know her name means bookmark?" Ren asked after a moment or two.

"No way," Seto looked at her in disbelief.

"It's true. Akira had taken a baby name book from the library and we all looked up what our names meant," Ren insisted. "My name means lotus," she added proudly.

"Do you think Akira still had the book so I can look up my name?"

"Nah, Shiori caught us reading it and confiscated it, but not before giving us an hour long lecture." Seto made a small 'mmm' sound in response.

"How about we sit under the Sakura tree?" he suggested, to which Ren willingly agreed.

"Can you believe this?" Seto was asking minutes later. "You can _actually_ make a swan out of paper!"

"What? Are you kidding?" Ren asked, looking up form her book and sitting up (she had been leaning on Seto).

"No, really, look at this!" He held the book up to her face as proof.

A look of shock spread over her face as she flipped through the pages. "Whoa! You can even make an owl, or flower, or butterfly!" she exclaimed as she scanned the pages thoroughly. She paused for a moment as she looked over the instructions. "Looks pretty complicated though," she told him, giving him the book back.

Seto shrugged one shoulder and continued reading. "Hey, look," Ren told him, nudging his shoulder with hers. She pointed at the horizon, which had turned into an explosion of gold, purple and red.

Seto uttered a soft 'wow' of surprise. They both turned to watch the sun continue its slow descent. "I wonder why it has so many colors one day, but only a few the next," Seto mused softly.

Ren said nothing, but instead climbed into his lap she caught his hand in hers. Immediately his face flushed and he began to feel very hot. Her face was turned towards the sunset, but it was still close to his. He had never actually kissed her, but he figured it would happen eventually. His hope was that she would be patient enough until then. It was then that he realized he had been sitting there for several minutes, just staring at her face.

Ren let out a sigh, startling. "It's getting pretty dark," she yawned. "We should go inside."

"Okay," Seto nodded, his throat dry. Ren slid off his lap and stood, yawning and stretching her arms above her head. Seto quickly gathered the books and stood next to her. "I'll see you in the morning then," he blurted.

"Alright," she said, looking a little taken aback. Mentally he slapped himself. _She was probably expecting you to walk her back to her room or something! _"See you," she said and walked off with a little wave. Set groaned inwardly. _Why do I always mess things up? _He wondered, a little upset. Scowling, he walked back to the hospital, which actually wasn't a hospital, it was a small clinic everyone called a hospital.

And even worse, he realized once he got to his room, he had picked up Ren's book by accident. _I'll just go return it in the morning, _he told himself before crawling into bed.

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_Pull yourself together! _He told himself as he stood trembling outside of Ren's room. _There's nothing to be afraid of!_ Scraping together his courage, he reached for the handle and turned to find-

Nothing. The room was empty. Seto let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. There was little furniture: a bed in one corner underneath a large window, a table with two chairs on the opposite wall, and an armoire in the farthest corner. _I'll just leave it here,_ he told himself. So he did.

_I wonder where she is, _Seto mused as he walked down hallways and stairs. He found her, all right, in the lobby. Akira was with her. But that wasn't the reason for his lack of breathing. It was the fact that they were kissing. And Ren looked like she was enjoying herself.

"S-Seto!" Akira stammered once he broke apart from Ren. Ren for her part, whipped around, staring at him with wide eyes. "We, uh, um, I can explain-"

Seto never heard the rest, for her was already gone, flying out the door, past the pond and Sakura tree, not caring where he ended up. Hot tears were streaming down his face, blurring his vision and leaving wet tracks as they trekked down to his chin. To find himself staggering through the library doors was the last thing he expected.

"What are you doing?!" Shiori barked as he crashed to a halt in front of her. "This is a _library-" _But she suddenly stopped as she saw his expression. Seto could only imagine how he looked. Hair disheveled, eyes red and swollen with tears pouring down his cheeks. "Dear child," Shiori said softly. "What happened?"

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Shiori was a nice woman. She sat him down at a table with a cup of tea. She did not interrupt as he blubbered on about what happened. She did not judge him or try to convince him there must have been mistake. All she did was listen. And that was all he really needed.

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"Did you know?" the words left him with an abrupt suddenness that he did not intend.

"I knew," Maki sighed, laying down the book she was reading.

"Why?" Seto gasped, his lip trembling. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I hoped it would be differen' this time." Seto hardly cared at her use of 'this time.' It didn't surprise him.

"That's what you and… and her were talking about. When you had finished treating my leg."

"Yes. I won' deny it," Maki lowered her eyes as if she could no longer bear to hold his gaze. He had been expecting it, but it still hurt. It was worse than a physical blow, and his eyes threatened to overflow.

"Did… did everyone but me know?" he was afraid to hear the answer.

"We all suspect'd it," was the reply. "It always happens."

"Always?"

"Always. I don' think she means to. She convinces 'erself she loves 'em, then realizes otherwise."

"So it's all one sided," Seto said sourly, not expecting a reply and not receiving one. He stood there for a long time, the silence stretching out bitterly. The scream shattered the silence, catching them both off guard. The single word, so simple yet terrifying, drove them to their feet.

"_TRACKER!"_

Seto didn't know who gave the alarm, nor did he care. Maki was already on her feet, lunging across the room to extinguish the candles. Plunged into darkness, he froze, not knowing whether to run or hide. To fight or to flee. Maki's hands grabbed him by the shoulders and suddenly he could make out her face in front of him.

"Here," she gasped, shoving something into his hand. It feels like cloth, perhaps a jacket, along with what feels like a strap of some sort. "Go," she shoved him toward the doorway. "Walls can' keep a tracker away for long."

"But what about you?!" Seto gasped as he stumbled backwards.

"I'll be fine," she gasped. "Jus' go!" Seto didn't need to be told again. His feet carried him faster than ever before. He paused at the end of the hallway. Maki had relit a candle and was holding it in her right hand. Perhaps a lack of noise alerted her, but for whatever reason, she turned and smiled at him. She did not look for long, instead turning her attention back to the tracker in front of her. It spoke to her, and a bitter smile twisted her freckled face.

Seto could close his eyes to the sight, but he could not close his ears to the sound. Her screams ringing in his ears, he flew from the building. The moonlight washed over the grass and he practically flew down the path. A sense of déjà-vu came to him as he approached the apple tree. He slowed down here, the dull ache in his leg preventing him from moving at such a pace for so long.

Maki had given him a light blue parka and a rusted red metal cylinder with leather straps. The parka had been his, but had been taken so it could be repaired. The holes from the dog attack had been expertly fixed, though it was using a navy colored thread. Seto didn't really mind too much though, it was nice to have it back.

No sooner had he put them both on, then a voice spoke from behind him.

"Pesky things." The voice was deep and cold, the epitome of uncaring. "I thought we found them all, but I see this one got away."

A chill ran up his spin as he whirled around, seeing the floating mask still some distance alone. This one was a dull green, unlike the brown one that had attack Maki.

"W-what do you want from me?!" Seto half yelled, half stammered.

"I have no reason to answer." Seto didn't hang around to deal with the tracker, he whipped around, his eye catching on the ever distant red tower. He ran. His leg cried out in protest but he ignored it.

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Seto didn't know how long he had been running, all he knew was the he had to keep going. The water soaked through his shoes but he paid no attention. It soaked his jeans but still he kept going. It was only when the chilled water lapped at his knees that he paused. The lily pads around him glowed and twinkled, lit by some unknown source. Turning around, he saw the tracker pausing at the edge of the water. It continued forward, floating mere inches above the surface of the water.

Seto gasped, startled into action, adrenaline coursing through his veins. _Almost there!_ He told him self as the cracked cement drew closer. Suddenly, the ground sloped up sharply and he welcomed it, nearly groaning with relief. His movements became quicker as the water became deeper. A stairway seemed to suddenly pop up next to him, and he barely had time to read 'Azabudai Underground Station' engraved above the entrance before he sprinted down it.

He leapt behind a boulder just as the tracker passed by. _Please, please, please, just pass by. Just keep going._ Minutes passed. It seemed like hours, days even, that he crouched there, hidden.

Seto risked a peek over the top of the boulder. Empty air met his eyes. The tracker was gone, and his legs quaked in relief. Letting go a long breath of air, he trekked down the stairs. The distant breaking of glass above him had him diving towards an overturned bench. After a few moments, he looked up, relieved to find the glass had actually come from a large glass dome.

"Please help me. I am in danger of malfunctioning." The robot like voice broke through the silence, making Seto freeze in his act of going down the hallway. Was the tracker back? Had it found him? Was he going to have to-? _Don't be ridiculous, _he scolded himself._ The trackers all seem to be guys… and besides, I don't think they would be in danger of malfunctioning. Or that they would ask me for help._

"I am not completely water-proof. Please help me," Came the voice again.

"Is someone there?" he called out, hoping he sounded braver than he felt.

"Yes! Over here!" was the immediate and joyful response. "I am here! Please come quickly! I am here! Please help me!"

The only way to go was forward, so that was what he did. Hopefully he could find whoever it was before they… malfunctioned. He dug through the red container and pulled out a flashlight. He felt a small pang as he thought of Maki, but he pushed it away and stepped quickly down the stairs. Various posters lined the walls, advertising movies and products, and graffiti could be spotted on large sections of wall. A curved platform lay empty at the bottom of the stairs, the path blocked by a section of rocks. Seto took a glance at the tracks from the platform.

They shone dully in the light, wrapped by shadows. The tracks here had no trains on them, and he didn't fancy going down there. He turned back to the jumble of rocks, seeing a space he could probably crawl through.

"Please help me! I am in danger of malfunctioning. Anyone…?" the voice called, this time coming clearly from the rocks. _Here goes nothing, _Seto mentally sighed, crouching down. It was something of a tight fit, but he pulled through, with only a minor scrape on his elbow.

A clock tower marked the central waiting area, surrounded by benches, lockers, and debris. After several moments of walking, he came to a double door on his right. _Is this where the voice was coming from? _He wondered, grasping a handle. It swung open with an audible creak. There was a layer of water coating the floor, only an inch or two deep. It splashed as he took a couple steps forward.

"Warning: I am not completely water-proof," The voice was directly above him. "Please help me." Seto looked up to see a mechanical box with an antenna and two blue light bulbs. It, or rather, _she_ had straps that looked like she was meant to be carried around on someone's back. "Warning: I am in serious danger of malfunctioning. Warning: I am not completely water-proof."

Standing on a desk that had been pushed to the center of the room, Seto pulled the box down from its perch. Up close, he could see two small silts, and a speaker box. Combined with the antenna and two blue light bulbs, it more or less resembled a face.

"Hello," she said cheerfully. "I am a personal frame, or PF for short, an interactive digital assistant equipped to respond to my user's emotional state, whatever it may be."

"Hey there, my name is-" the very room shook, causing clumps of dirt and small debris to shower over them.

"Let us save introductions far later. We are in danger in our current location. I will quickly navigate a route to safety for us."

"A route? Navigate?" Seto repeated in confusion.

"We must hurry," Pf told him.

"O-okay."

"First, fasten me to your back." Seto did as she asked, or rather, told him to. Following her instructions, he fastened her sides until they made a clicking sound. "My primary function is analyzing whatever situation my user is in, and offering a sound solution." Pf finished just as more debris was shook lose on top of them.

"Well I dunno… but I don't think we should stay here."

"Of course. However, there is more I must tell you about-"

"Later," Seto interrupted.

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_**Okay… wow. I actually thought I would be able to squeeze Crow in at the end. So much for that… however, he will be in the next chapter. I'll be skipping to around where Pf loses power, otherwise I would basically be rewriting the game. Which is boring. Anyways, I made this chapter extra to help make up for the lack of updates.**_

_**(1) Ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arrangement.**_

_**(2) Ukiyo-e, literally 'pictures of the floating world,' is a genre of woodblock prints that exemplifies the characteristics of the Meiji period of Japanese art.**_

_**(3) Origami is the art of Japanese paper folding (I'd be sad if you didn't know what origami was but I decided to put it down here anyways).**_

_**(4) Sado is a Japanese tea ceremony**_


	5. (5) Another Story Ends

_**My thanks to all the new reviewers, followers, and favorites, etc, etc. Ummm… I… have nothing else to say. Usually I do, but not today it seems… So… yeah.**_

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Chapter Four - Another Story Ends

The bamboo snapped with an audible 'crack!' Seto stiffened, startled by the sudden breaking. It was no matter though, he had already experienced this before. Except that time he hadn't been surrounded the indigo jellyfish entities. Gritting his teeth, and with no other choice, Seto swung the now broken sword at the nearest jellyfish. As he shined the light ahead of him, several of the entities turned red and floated just fractionally faster towards him. One floated up and attempted to land on his head.

He batted it away, agitated and slightly panicked. He didn't particularly like his situation, but there was no way to reach his spare sword without being injured. _Calm down,_ he told himself sternly. _There's only five of them, and they're all slow._ Seto jumped forward, startled by the sudden stinging he had felt from behind. Nearly dropping his weapon, he whipped around, doing his best to ignore the prickles of pain issuing from his shoulder.

One of the jellyfish must have snuck up behind him and attacked him while he was thinking. He narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath. _C'mon, Seto. You can do this!_ Gripping the sword hilt tightly, he swung forward in a wide arc. It hit one of them directly, and caught the other in a glancing blow. The first flipped upside down and slowly floated to the floor where it disappeared in a brief small cloud of purple-black smoke. The second was merely pushed back a few feet.

_See? This is easy!_ And with that thought in his head, he swung again, and again. He didn't stop until there were none left and he was left watching the last two of his would-be enemies float soundlessly down. Other than another small sting on his left forearm, he had suffered no more injuries from the ambush. The empty room was eerily empty, with nothing but a soft _whoosh_ sound every now and then. Digging through his pockets, he pulled out a small wrapped candy, which he gratefully devoured. He gently set down the broken weapon before flipping open his large red canister, and he quickly dug out a new weapon. It was almost a perfect replica of the bamboo sword he had previously been using.

On the wall opposite him was a rusted door, which Seto proceeded to force open. It certainly didn't make it easy, and he eventually forced the door open with his shoulder. The hinges let out an unpleasantly loud screeching noise, and he automatically cringed in response. The room it led to was empty, save for a bonfire pit in the corner, which he promptly put to good use. With the heat of the flames licking at his face, he felt safe, protected by the small ring of light the fire offered. He closed his eyes and let himself drift off, welcoming the black wave of sleep.

* * *

The door really did not want to open. It really, _really,_ did not want to. "C'mon, door, just open!" Seto begged silently. With a sudden groan, the door flung open, sending Seto sprawling. Coughing as he lifted his face out of the dirt, Seto opened his eyes. In front of him was a rusty ladder, which appeared to be leading to the surface. Hope suddenly surged through him as he stood up quickly, brushing dirt off his clothes.

"That ladder ahead should return us to the surface," Pf told him.

"It's too bad we never found whoever drew those pictures," Seto said, turning his head slightly to look at her. He was referring to the occasional picture scribbled on the floor of the mall. Seto had thought the one of crows looked cute, but Pf described their drawing skills merely as 'substantial.'

"I… I suppose I was not much of assistance to you, then," Pf told him sadly.

Seto's frowned, confused. "What? C'mon, don't say that! Really, you were a huge help! A life saver!" he insisted.

"Well… if you really mean that… then… I am relieved," came the grateful response.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Seto asked, not understanding her behavior.

"Warning: battery low." The monotone line chilled him to his very core.

"Huh?! Wait, what battery?" Seto asked, feeling panic starting to set in.

"Warning: battery low."

"What's happening? What should I do?" Seto cried.

"Warning: battery low."

Quickly, Seto undid Pf's straps and set her down in the soft dirt. "What am I supposed to do?! Tell me!" He demanded, a combination of fear and panic making him tremble.

"Battery has been… depleted." Slowly, the soft blue light emitted from Pf's light bulb faded to nothing. Seto said nothing, frozen in shock. "It seems that our journey together must come to and end here. I am terribly sorry. Please, forgive me."

"But why…?" he asked softly.

Pf let out a short laugh. "This time, please don't speak. Let me talk. You know… I always loved talking more than anything. Unfortunately the battery I run on has become completely depleted. This… will be our last conversation. If you had not come along when you did, I would have malfunctioned in that decrepit station, all alone. Our time together may have been short, but I am glad that I got to spend it with you. Oh no! I have only thirty-seven seconds until complete termination of operation! There is still so much I wish to talk to you about. But you must let me tell you one last thing… When all is said and done, I am glad to have met you. Seeing the dawn together, and those unusual drawing… Oh! And your name! I never asked you what your name is!"

Slowly, Seto lifted her up shook her gently. He didn't trust himself to speak, and could feel the tears prickling at her eyes.

"Thank you," Pf told him.

A lone tear escape fell from his eye as Seto hugged her to his chest. "Seto… my name is Seto." Pf did not respond, and he finally let out the tears he had been holding back. They were falling even as he dug the shallow grave in the dirt. He felt a terrible wrench in his stomach as he covered her prone body with dirt. It didn't even matter that he had dirt underneath his fingernails, all that mattered was that his friend was gone. And as much as it hurt him to turn away from the churned patch of dirt, he forced himself to, clenching a fallen screw in his right hand. As he looked up the ladder, he realized it wasn't a good idea to continue holding it in his hand, for it could fall and he would never find it.

So, sniffling and wiping his eyes, he fumbled with his locket until he managed to open it and slip the screw in to rest there next to the blue rock and the letter his grandfather had left for him.

He climbed the ladder to find himself in a stone tunnel, beams of moonlight streaming through the tunnel exit near him. Feeling his jaw tremble a little more, he sat down, and waited, waited for his raw heart to stop aching.

* * *

The fallen debris crunched quietly as Seto stepped on it, too tired to care about the noise it was making. Without Pf with him, the world seemed different, even stranger to him than the day he had left the observatory and set out looking for other survivors. Nothing was real, he felt as if the smooth rock walls of the tunnel could dissolve into mist within a moment. A vast, unnatural silence covered everything. With the rational part of his mind, Seto realized all nearby animals would be started by the scraping and crunching of the rubbish upon the ground, but in the grip of his grief it seemed even they were mourning for Pf.

He stepped out of the tunnel, shafts of moonlight showering down upon him. The sudden light startled Seto out of his depression and he raised his face to look up at the tiny glowing lights that were stars. As he watched a tiny star seemed to appear in the sky. The sight reminded him of something Ojiisan had told him (A/N: In Japanese, Ojiisan means grandfather, and since in the game Seto refers to the old man as 'grandpa' he will be known as such from here on out).

"…_Seto, let me tell you something my father __told me.__ Look at the stars. When someone passes to the next life, a star appears in the sky. It's their spirit, looking down upon this vast land.__"_

"_Really?"_

"_Yes. So whenever you feel alone, just remember that those kindred spirits will always be there to guide you. And so will I." (1)_

Seto shivered as the memory flitted through his mind. _Pf is up there,_ a small smile finally stretched across his features. It reminded him of his situation – alone, in an unfamiliar place. Swallowing down his fear, he set his jaw and continued forward. The determination in him burned away the despair that had been plaguing him. _I have to live, for I am the only proof that she ever existed._

With that thought burning in his mind, it occurred to him that he should check out his environment. Ahead of him lay a broken down fountain. Standing in the middle of the empty basin, albeit crookedly, was a large cartoonish pig. A large grin was etched upon its frozen features. The words "Lunar Hill Fun Land" were etched on the stone rim of the fountain. A large Ferris-Wheel stood proudly in the distance behind the dilapidated structure. To his right lay the entrance to an abandoned attraction, something cold judging by the fake penguins sitting above the entrance. To his left, a path led to another section of the park.

Seto sighed and closed his eyes, breathing in the crisp air. The wind gently rustled his hair and carried the faint scent of Fuji flowers. (2) Opening his eyes, he walked forward towards the fountain. When he was only a couple feet from the fountain, a rush of footsteps reached his ears.

"Huh?" Seto gasped, whipping around to examine the wall behind him – the apparent location of the noise. His brief search of the surrounding rooftops brought him no results. _Guess it was just my imagination…_ he mused silently, slowly turning back to the fountain. And found himself staring into a pair of green cat eyes.

His heart felt like it had just received an electric shock, his legs automatically scrambling backwards in the dust. A shocked cry flew out of his mouth. A boy was crouching on the rim of the fountain, watching him calmly. He was a teenage boy with jet-black hair, with green cat eyes peaking out from under the bangs. A purple hat was perched atop his head; around his neck was a yellow scarf, and he donned an odd black coat with purple and yellow rings. Hanging off his purple shorts, was a kettle, and off his chest, a crow's head.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? What do you think you're doing here?" He demanded, revealing sharp teeth.

"H-huh? Who are you?" Seto asked, recovering from his shock.

The boy responded by doing a handstand, before back-flipping off the fountain to stand in front of him. "C'mon, didn't your mom ever teach you any manners? You first."

"M-my name…? It's Seto," Seto responded shyly, backing away slightly as the boy leaned forward, a little too close for comfort.

"Seto, huh?" the boy narrowed his eyes gracefully swooped to Seto's other side, Seto turning with him. Seto himself now had his back towards the penguin ride. "And what kind of name is that?" Before Seto could answer, he cart-wheeled away to land behind him. "Anyway, you can call me Crow. C-R-O-W." He ended the small speech by raising a gloved hand to his hat.

"Uh. Sure, Crow." Crow scowled and lowered his hand, turning away from Seto.

"Don't act like we're friends."

Seto blinked, startled by the harsh statement. "What? But…"

Crow's narrowed his eyes and turned back to glare at Seto, "I said: don't act like you know me!" He quickly stepped forward, pushing his face into Seto's personal space. "Listen up. _I'm_ the one whose going to be asking the questions around here, you just answer. Is that clear?"

"Mm… Yes," Seto stammered nervous, nodding. Crow leaned back, apparently satisfied with his answer.

"Where are you from?" Crow demanded.

"Um. Pretty far to the west of-"

"What are you doing here, huh?" Crow cut him before he could finish.

"Um… well, it's just that, I thought I might be able to find more people if I came…" Seto trailed off as Crow turned around and took a step away.

"You mean more humans?" Crow asked brusquely. "As in, you're human?"

"Hm? Yeah," Seto nodded, confused by the question.

"You traveling alone?" he asked, turning back to face him.

"I used to live with this old man… But now," Seto paused momentarily when Crow grabbed his sleeve and held up his arm so he could see up it. "He's dead. So…"

"So now you're on your own," Crow finished for him.

"Mh-hm."

Crow sprang forward suddenly, leaning over him, "And you came here to find survivors. Is that it?"

"Mh-hm," Seto repeated.

"Heh, typical human," snorted Crow. He side-stepped again, his eyes locking onto Seto's locket. Without warning, Crow's hand shot forward and yanked it from Seto's neck. He jumped far higher than anyone Seto had ever seen, landing on top of the fountain-pig. A small tinkle rang out as Ojiisan's crystal fell out and hit the ground, thankfully without breaking.

Unsure of what else to do, Seto stepped forward and picked up the small jewel. "Well, ain't this a pretty trinket?" Crow said suddenly, dangling the locket in the air. "Looks valuable, too!"

"Hey that belonged to Ojiisan! Give it back to me!" Seto yelled at him.

"Aww, gimme a break, you mean some old dead guy? It'd be better off with me anyway!" Crow smirked and threw the locket into the air, catching it with his left hand.

"It's special to me! Give it back!" Seto insisted.

"Oh?" Crow raised an eyebrow and stood up. "Haha. If you want this thing so bad, you'll have to catch me to get it." And without another word, he back flipped off the pig, disappearing into the night.

* * *

**1)** **Totally took that from The Lion King… Anyways, it's from the scene where Mufasa is telling Simba about the Great Kings of the past looking down upon them.**

**2) In Japan, ****a ****Wisteria is called Fuji. These plants bloom in springtime, btw.**

**O.O I forgot how much of a jerk Crow was when Seto first met him. Uh, anyways, yeah, I'm a terrible updater and I suffer from chronic procrastination. Sorry. I tried to find the plot bunnies in the depths of my mind but they were nowhere to be found! Turns out they had been hanging out with the dust bunnies I vacuumed up a while ago. Moving on, the more major plot changes should start taking place in the next chapter, so don't be thinking it's like the game! And YES you will eventually find out what happened to everyone. Eventually. Also! My computer is now fixed - it had nothing to do with DeviantART after all. Although the sound is still screwed up - it doesn't have what is called 'continuous sound' meaning that every few moments the sound briefly stops for about a millisecond, making it sound like a crap ton of popping noises. And to everyone who is gonna be like "Just to your computer to the shop!" NO. My dad knows what he's doing, he sets ups/installs and configures computers, and even used to make codes for them. So trust me here, m'kay?**


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